10/31/11

So Black Rob just rolled in from Texas and his CB750 has been puking oil since he rode it from here to Dallas over the summer. Upon inspection a nice hole had been rubbed through the case by a nagged-out chain. Sumo's bright idea for a quick fix got it back on the road. It weeps a bit, but nothing like the gusher it was before. As our English pal would say, "A proper bodge, isn't it?" We'll forever call it the "Jersey Patch".

Speaking of Sumo, he's on the Praying Mantis headed to Vegas and will meet us in Slab City. Last I heard he was in Baker and doing fine...

10/27/11

As long as it had the old paint it was always gonna be Jay's bike. I just mounted up the tins this afternoon with freshly sprayed goodness from Scott at Backstreet Buckets. Nice and simple, just like I was hoping for, and right in time for Slab City. Thanks Scott, you crushed it! There are more plans for this machine in the near future but for now it's just getting our new prototype H-bars, a Whiskey throttle, a new tire and some much needed scrubbing.

10/26/11

10/24/11

San Felipe, Baja-Style. I think this is a Pinzgauer, which is short for "Super Mobility, Cab-over Engine, Lightweight, Bad Ass, Box-Van-Thingy that is awesome". But I may be wrong. Either way, I want one!

10/23/11

I'm riding to the Oil & Water show on the 12th and wanted to put the invite out there for anyone who wants to ride along. We'll start here at the Biltwell warehouse, go to Classic Cycles in Orange and then Caleb's Cro Customs in Culver City. You can link up with us at any of these locations and then we'll roll in to the show together. -Bill

10/22/11

10/21/11

Dave up in Washington state just finished this crazy Honda Trail 90. I'm stoked he chose to run our Kung Fu grips on such a nutty little machine. It's got a full race 140cc race engine and all kinds of attention to detail. I know it's not every tough-guy-chopper-dude's choice, but I think it's cool! I wonder if you could make one of those forks work on an old Triumph...

10/19/11

It's been a crazy couple weeks over here. Lots a travel and not much time to post. In between working too much I went over to my buddy Steve's house and picked up his Sporty. This bike has been sitting since Steve low sided around a corner near Eureka on a run last summer. I figured I'd try my lack of skill at a Sportster and see what I can come up with. Rouser, I'm gonna need some guidance!

10/18/11

10/17/11

We finally found some bubbles good enough to put our name on. These have great optical clarity and don't smell like puke. (If you've ever used a new-old stock one, you know what I'm talking about!) So far we've got four colors, with more later. Smoke or Clear are $19.99 and the fades in Smoke or Red are $24.99. Check 'em here.

10/14/11

Road tripping on a bike is just like backpacking when it comes to deciding what gear to bring. I obsess on trying to pack as little as possible and still have everything I need, plus a little bit. Each trip the load plan gets slightly modified, but certain things like a canteen cup, fire, coffee, headlamp and tools always go. Recently we got the hook up from the fine folks at Poler.

Now, other than a brief stint with an el Cheapo Wal Mart tent a couple years ago, I have always preferred a bivy sack if there is a chance of getting wet or just went commando with a wool blanket or light sleeping bag in the desert. Setting up a typical tent in the dark and tearing down with a hangover in the morning gets old about day three and the superfluous stuff gets chucked. A bivy packs down nice and tidy, may include a single pole, (or may not). I dig the efficiency and the lack of moving parts, but the stoicism can lose it's charm pretty quick. Now that I've had a few nights in this Poler unit, the bivy is stowed and I've embraced the luxury of a quality tent. I used it on the Gypsy Run last month and my kid poached it from me last weekend in Baja.

The whole tent is really just a fine net if you choose to leave the fly off, which is perfect for the desert and beach camping we enjoy. If there is a chance of rain or heavy dew, the fly goes on over the top. The benefit is superb ventilation and less set up, with a back up plan of water-proofing only a minute or so of extra work away. With the fly on there is a small vestibule for stashing stuff out of the rain, but also out of your tent, ie: dirty boots, helmet, etc. Unlike a lot of single-person tents that have an entrance on the front, this one has it on the side so it's easier to crawl into after a long day and there is ample room for getting situated.

The support poles are all hooked together with shock cord through a couple lightweight joints so there is less fumbling around in the dark. It all packs down to a reasonable size and compression straps mean you can actually fit it in the rip-stop bag without wrestling and then cinch it down to it's minimum size. $170 is a heavy hit for a tent, but like good boots, quality motorcycle parts or other stuff you can make last a long time, it's worth saving for and treating well.

Yes, I endorse a Therma-Rest pad and unicorn Pillow-Pet for ultimate comfort.

10/13/11

We just got back from a killer weekend in Baja. We had already decided to not do an El Diablo Run next year but thought the idea of some other Mexico trip sounded fun. Well, that was a fail. The spot we wanted to go to is a little bay about 50-ish miles south of San Felipe called Puertocitas. We went the long way down to Mulege and visited an old friend, then came up to Puertocitas off road (in my truck, not bikes) and caught some of the great, brand new highway that connects the sleepy little gringo village and Gonzaga Bay. Anyway, when we talked to the lady who runs the campground there at Puertocitas she explained that even though it's pretty much a ghost town, they have a commitment to the retired folks there to keep things quiet and that means no loud bikes, dune buggies, parties, etc. Blah!

Santispac, about 700 miles south of the border. I will live near here someday, promise.

So, screw it. We'll host another EDR in a year or two. In the mean time we're working with Tyler at Lowbrow and his video production crew on a DVD that was shot during this year's run. I'm going through the rough cut stuff right now and the riding footage is insane. It's really neat to see "our" kind of bikes shot by professionals. This DVD should be available in plenty of time for the holidays. Maybe even for Slab City...

The new road south of Puertocitas. Gonzaga Bay is getting easier and easier to reach now. That is good and bad.

As for 2012 events, McGoo is cooking up a fun multi-day ride through the Southwest USA that sounds great, so stay tuned for info on that as it develops. Watch out Nevada and Utah...

Our friend Ron in Mulege is a retired Class 1 desert racer so this is his grocery getter.

I think someone got their money's worth out of those sprockets. Coco's Corner is a one man Slab City.

If you go through Coco's Corner, you gotta stop and sign his book and shoot the shit. His words of wisdom? Lower your tire pressure. Good point, Coco, most sensible advice I got during the whole trip.

Unexpected chopper shopper. That one in the upper right ain't half bad. We picked up a couple different small lights from this dude on the side of the road.

10/12/11

We're gettin' ready around here. We've got tons of stuff to give away from generous sponsors, and for the first time we'll have a few trinkets like shirts and patches for sale. Check out the map Alan Stedman did up for the Wuss Ride.